Fan housing units are used in various industries to distribute, circulate, or divert fluids, such as air, propelled by a fluid impelling device. One example where fan housings are used is in the heating and cooling industry. Fan housings typically direct or circulate the flow of hot or cold air into particular rooms or areas within a building or structure. Fan housings may be coupled to a duct or a fluid impelling device. The duct may carry the air from a heating or cooling unit to an opening of the fan housing. The shape and design of the fan housing unit may either disperse the air current over a wide area or redirect the air current to another duct or fan housing unit.
One purpose of current fan housing units is to circulate air to heat or cool an area quickly and efficiently. As a result, the shape and design of current fan housing units typically do not direct the air to a centralized or focused location. To direct the air to a localized area, instead of dispersing the air over a wide area, will result the room or area to have a substantial temperature gradient. Moreover, more air and energy would be required before the room temperature is substantially uniform. To overcome some temperature gradient situations, ceiling fans may be employed, generally without any housing unit, to further disperse and mix the air over a wide area within a room. The term “ceiling fan” is used in this document in the conventional sense to refer to a fan not connected with the ducting of any central HVAC system and adapted to be situated to move air substantially vertically within an area.
In a commercial setting, such as a department store or warehouse, the requirements may be different. For example, a commercial or industrial structure may have higher ceilings than a residential unit. Moreover, commercial settings may also include aisles or display units comprising products or goods with rows therebetween. In such a setting, dispersing the air over a wide area may not effectively circulate, heat, or cool the areas between the display units. Accordingly, one problem with conventional ceiling fans is that they do not direct the air to a focused location within a room, but rather tend to disperse the air over a wide area. Conventional ceiling fans are not designed to produce a sufficient column of air that will remain focused on a localized area as the air approaches the ground level.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a ceiling fan with a housing unit that is capable of providing a column of air in localized areas. Additionally, there is further a need for a ceiling fan housing unit that, when coupled to a structure substantially above the ground level, is capable of providing a column of air that remains substantially localized as the column approaches the ground level. Additionally, there is further a need for a ceiling fan housing unit that is modular so that, when coupled to similar modular ceiling fan housing units, can deliver an enhanced column of air that remains substantially localized as the column approaches the ground level. Additionally, there is a need for a ceiling fan in a housing that can be supported on a conventional dropped ceiling to provide a column of air that remains substantially localized as the column approaches the ground level.